Reckless (3 page)

              “Call me tomorrow.” She said as she finally reached for the door handle.

              He leaned in and kissed her cheek. She nodded and slid out of the car. She watched as he sped out of the parking lot and disappeared down the street.

              As soon as she walked into the apartment, Kelsey and her friends were staring at her. She just wanted to be alone because if any one of Kelsey’s bitchy ass friends said a word to her, she was going to explode.

              “Bree, some guy called for you while you were out.” Kelsey called out as she headed to the kitchen for a bottle of water. She frowned. Jon was with her, so who else would be calling her? “Says his name is James Connor and if you don’t call him, he’s going to come find you. He sounded pretty hot.”

              Brianna froze as images from her past violated her mind. James Connor was Aaron and Sarah’s nephew, and the cause of the discord in a once happy home. Jon and his sister, Taylor, were the Jamersons’ first foster children. When Bree arrived much later, Taylor had gotten heavily into drugs, married some deadbeat, and had two drug addicted babies. Jon said it was James’ fault and never got into it.

              Until the day one summer he caught James coming out of Brianna’s bedroom with his shirt off. He couldn’t have known that they’d been secretly seeing each other all summer because James asked her not to say anything about it to anyone. But how was she supposed to know that James had raped Taylor. And how was she supposed to know that Jon would explode and beat James bloody.

              Of course she took Jon’s side when she learned the truth. The thing about James is that he had a dark side, and the day Jon beat him up was the same day she tried to break up with him. It didn’t end well and she still had mental and physical scars from what James did to her.

              She was shaking as she walked to her bedroom. She closed the door and curled up in her closet. All she could do was chant the mantra that her therapist told her.

              “He’s long gone. I’m safe. He’s long gone. I’m safe……”

              But he wasn’t long gone, and somehow he managed to track her down.

Six

              “She’s been in her room for days, and I can’t get ahold of Jonathan.” Kelsey stage whispered.

              His sister was worried sick. Frankly, so was he. Kelsey shouldn’t have to deal with someone’s mental breakdowns. Especially when she was about to head to Mexico for spring break. He worked hard to make sure his sister didn’t have to worry about anything. Sure, she had her own trust fund to fall back on, and she owned part of their father’s company, but she was too young to have such worries and he was extremely pissed off that Brianna had her scared out of her mind.

              Banging on the door, he commanded, “Brianna? Open up.” When she didn’t budge he said, “If you don’t open this door right now, I’m breaking it down.”

              He stood there listening for movement. When he heard nothing, his anger disappeared and was replaced with worry. What if she had a medical condition and she was passed out on the floor or something? His heart fell into his gut as he rammed his body against her door. When it splintered open, he glanced around and saw the room was in perfect order and Brianna was nowhere to be found.

              “Are you sure she’s in here?” he demanded as they roamed around the room. Kelsey opened the closet and gasped.

              “Yeah. She’s here.” She murmured.

              Fragile didn’t even begin to describe how she looked. He could tell that she hadn’t eaten for days by how much thinner she looked. Her eyes were swollen like she’d spent the whole time crying, coming out only for bathroom breaks.

              Kneeling down, he reached into the closet and pulled her into his arms. She was very light and it worried him. He walked over and sat on her bed, settling her into his lap. He pushed her hair out of her face and caressed her cheeks. Something fierce came over him and he felt the need to protect her like she belonged to him.

              “Water, sandwich, and an extra blanket.” He ordered his sister like she was one of his staff members. She didn’t argue, she just scurried off.

              “Anything else?” Kelsey asked. She looked so concerned that she brought him out of the little trance he had going, staring at Brianna’s face and stroking her hair.

              “Do you know what happened to her?” he asked. He was looking for any trace of violation or bodily harm.

              “No.”

              He lay Brianna on the bed and pulled his sister into his arms. “How about you spend the night with one of your friends tonight since you leave for Cancun in the morning. I’ll make sure she’s taken care of.” He said.

              Kelsey hesitated then nodded. She knew that he would make sure Brianna was taken care of without taking advantage. He just needed to figure out what the hell happened to her.

              After his sister gathered her things and left, he went back to where Brianna lay. He hated that she made him feel so vulnerable. He had no idea what to do about her, but he did know that he wasn’t about to leave her alone while his sister was away. So, he threw a bunch of things he figured she’d need into a bag, and carried her to his car.

              It was when she was strapped in and they were speeding down the road that she stirred and awakened from her sleep.

              “Where the hell are you taking me?” she demanded as she looked around at her surroundings.

              “My place.” He said.

              “I….We…. No!” she stuttered and screamed.

              He was going to keep driving, but he saw that her skin had a green tinge to it. He pulled the car over and she climbed out and emptied whatever contents she had in her stomach. He was right behind her, holding her tangled curls away from her face.

              “What the hell is wrong with you, Brianna?” he demanded.

              He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take. He hated being left out in the dark, especially when it came to his life. He needed complete control at all times. It was crucial to him. To his survival.

              “Take me home.” She murmured.

              “I am.” He led her back to the car and buckled her in.

              She didn’t say another word to him. For almost three days.

Seven

              She felt entirely too safe the last few days in Lucian’s apartment in the city. His home was beautifully plain. It looked exactly like a place that an interior decorator got her hands on, yet it was still completely masculine. Black leather couch, an oversized television on top of a huge fireplace was all the decoration he had in the living room besides one simple picture of him and his sister along with their parents in a frame on a side table. He also had a beautiful view of the city with the Rocky Mountains looming behind it.

              He wouldn’t let her move from the couch. He wanted her to take the bedroom, but she completely refused. She would not sleep in his bed. Ever. He was already acting like her master and she’d read the books. She knows how billionaires think. They’re into that BDSM shit, and spankings, and apples in the ass. All the stuff she refused to even think about.

              Yet, she
was
thinking about it. And when he came out of the bedroom fresh from a shower with his shirt unbuttoned, yelling into his phone, she licked her lips, thinking that she wouldn’t mind ripping that shirt off and making him relax. She took a deep, shuddering breath and sipped the tea that his housekeeper, Ursula, shoved at her earlier.

              “Off to work?” she asked when he pocketed his phone and started messing with his tie.

              He stopped fidgeting with his tie and looked up at her. “So you’re talking to me now?” he smirked.

              She shrugged and took another sip of her tea. “You did kidnap me.” She pointed out.

              “You were scaring my sister.” He said.

              Throwing back her throw blanket and standing, she had to count to ten before she spoke to him again. She was about to spew out a smart retort when she noticed that he was staring at her. Really staring at her. She didn’t know why. She was in her cotton pajama shorts and purple top, her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head, and she often fell asleep in her glasses. She was suddenly embarrassed and dropped her eyes to the floor.

              “Why are you such a fucking brat?” he murmured.

              Her eyes snapped up. “You’re such an asshole!” she spat.

              “I wish you would grow up, Brianna!” he yelled.

              “I hate you!” she screamed.

              “I fucking hate you too!” he growled.

              Next thing she knew, his mouth was on hers, setting her whole body on fire. His lips trailed burning kisses down her neck as she pulled at his shirt until it tore off of him. He lifted her off the ground and dropped her on the couch while simultaneously climbing between her legs. Her shorts were pulled over her legs, his pants were around his ankles, and suddenly, he thrust inside of her, filling her until she ached.

              He slowly rocked his hips and she nearly lost her mind. She gripped his hips and moved her hips up to meet his with each thrust.

              “Damn, sweetheart. You’re so fucking tight. When was the last time you’ve done this?” he groaned. Then he stiffened. “Don’t tell me you’re a vir-“

              “Shh….” She cut him off, squeezing her eyes shut. “I’m coming and I don’t need to hear your voice right now.”

              He slapped her thigh and her eyes snapped open. “Don’t talk to me like that.” He growled.

              She bit his lip and he started moving inside of her again. She closed her eyes at the onslaught of different sensations that hit her as he thrust inside of her. He grabbed her hips and started moving like he was punishing her. She threw her head back and screamed as he slammed into her. Her nails dug into his hips and back and he growled with pleasure before kissing her.

              It was like someone else had taken over her body. Her mouth was everywhere on him and she was actually loving this. His hands scorched her wherever they landed and before she knew it, her eyes rolled back and she was screaming out his name on another orgasm. But he couldn’t just let her ride it out. Just as her body started the spasms, he withdrew from her, making her whimper. Then his mouth was on her clit, gently stroking until she saw stars. He completely undid her and she didn’t know if she loved it or hated him for it.

              “My turn,” he said, pulling her onto his lap. She’d barely had time to straddle him before he was pushing inside of her.

Then he stood up, pressing her against the wall. He slammed into her so hard that she had to wrap her legs tighter around him not to fall. He wasn’t holding her or supporting her weight. Instead his arms were on the wall at either side of her body. He rode her fast and hard, and she could hardly believe the third orgasm that was threatening to explode from her. She felt his body tighten and then heat flooded her causing her to utterly shatter around him.

She was wrecked and she knew it by the time he lowered her to the floor. She was also mad as hell. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to be in his apartment. She wasn’t supposed to be hiding out from her past. And she damn sure wasn’t supposed to have just had incredibly hot sex with Lucian Spencer-Davenport.

Suddenly, she was overwhelmed. “I…. I….” Without another word, she bolted for the bathroom and locked herself inside.

Eight

That wasn’t supposed to happen.

Lucian silently watched Brianna retreat to the bathroom. She looked completely ashamed of herself and he had no idea why. Yes, what happened between them was totally spur of the moment, but it was also extremely hot. She was incredibly beautiful and sexy, and even though he’d told himself that he’d only wanted a taste, now that he’d had it, he wanted so much more. He wanted all of her.

Shit. He wasn’t even into the BDSM thing, but he could definitely see himself spanking her, tying her up, taming her. He wanted to show her exactly what made him the man he was. He took control. He was dominant. He was powerful. He knew all of this about himself and suddenly he found himself wanting to share it with Brianna.

He checked his watch. He was late for work. He quickly dressed and went to the bathroom door to talk to Brianna. He heard the shower and decided to just leave her a note, until something made him freeze. He pressed his ear against the door to listen a little more closely and his heart dropped. She was crying.

“Fuck!” he murmured as he pulled out his cell. He called his assistant to tell her that he wouldn’t be in and to instruct her on what to do in his absence for the day.

Then, he went to his bedroom to change clothes before he headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for Brianna and himself. She probably thought he was gone because she emerged from the bathroom half an hour later, fresh from a shower with her defenses down. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was red, but he couldn’t help but feel like a bastard when all he could think was how adorable she was.